50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division – Part 6

With all the recent posts I’ve seen on other blogs about contents of scrap boxes I thought an update on the progress of the field artillery for this unit would be timely.  The guns and limbers were not an issue and I have even found the original gun crews.  One of the quads required only a little make good, but the other was a total rebuild from many parts including a bit of scratch building.  Here are the two quads before they go for painting.

Austrian Napoleonic IR 29 – Completed

Undercoat commenced in July last year and I finally got the time over Xmas to finish them.  See original post on the background to this unit here: http://onesidedminiaturewargamingdiscourse.blogspot.com/2011/07/austrian-napoleonic-ir-29-undercoat.html

  I only used the brown wash on the flesh, although I don't think these photos do the effect justice.

I’m very happy how this brigade of 28AsLN turned out for Napoleon's Battles.  I went to a bit of effort to make sure they fitted together regardless of sequence, not so noticeable when deployed in line, but a must for column.

50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division – Part 5

Time marches on and now all the infantry elements have been rebased.  So I now have the three brigades 69^th, 151^st and 168^th for the 50^th Division for the Megablitz rules.

These same figures also double up as an infantry company for Crossfire.

I'm also hoping that these same forces can double (or will it be triple) up for Blitzkrieg Commander (rules set has been ordered).

So far only one dedicated transport unit – a reconstructed Matador.  It is the first vehicle I undercoated black before painting.  In another first it is also the first to be varnished.  The matt varnish has a more satin finish to it, but i think that is my fault for not shaking up the can enough.  So it goes.  The infantry used to be gloss.  I didn’t fix the truck to its base.  I um’d and er’d for a long while, but decided not to at this stage.    I’ll keep with the loose look.

The next job is to start on the field artillery regiments, which will be more repair work.

Blitzkrieg Commander

Played my first game of Blitzkrieg Commander.  Very impressed.  Gave a good feel and quick and easy to play.  It's now on my wish list.

http://www.blitzkrieg-commander.com/default.aspx?Area=BKC

Field Fencing – Part 1

This is a Xmas project and hopefully there will be a Part 2 within two weeks (the time I have off), however at the moment I’m into painting Napoleonics so it might not happen.

I purchased this Peco Lineside kit and decided that for wargaming purposes it would be best to make up into ten separate strips.  Pop sticks made the perfect base.  I originally started to collect the pop sticks by saving them from ice creams, but I soon realised that was a fattening idea.  I ended up just taking ten from a self service drink stand were they were supplied in lieu of teaspoons.

The end of each segment was a bit tricky, but actually went together very well.  I had no luck with the centre struts and so left them off.  PVA glue worked fine to secure the fence to its base.

Now they are ready to paint and flock.

Here's to a relaxing Xmas and all the best for 2012.

Stalingrad – Russians – Crossfire

These are my two Russian companies that I have dedicated to the Crossfire Stalingrad scenario.

They have been relabelled with red brown on white for the first (rifle) company and white on red brown for the SMG company.

The figures are a mix of Esci, Atlantic, metal (one Hinchcliffe, but the other metal are I think GHQ).  There is even one Matchbox hard plastic figure in there.

I hope next time I get to play the scenario the new labels aid playability.

Leipzig Table A Scenario – Napoleon’s Battles

On 4 December we played the Leipzig Table A scenario, but noted how if we were playing the full battle there would be many decisions on other troops that would be available – this was some of the fun we were perhaps looking for.  So far the two scenarios we have played have been totally isolated

The French chose the Mockern road and while it took time to get their long march columns on the table they quickly deployed facing north.  Command was an issue as Ney is only 4 and Marmont is a 7.  Both have a 10” command span.  The special arrangements for the command of continuous columns is something that has recently been commented on in the Napoleon’s Battles Yahoo Group and it was certainly a factor in this game.  See http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/napsbattles/message/14643

The Russians arrived on time and passed thru Lindenthal as can be seen in the first photo.  Note the model used to denote the village of Lindenthal was actually moved (saved) and placed with Mockern as its position on the table edge were a lot of movement was occurring put it in jeopardy of being knocked onto the floor.

The Allies felt hemmed in by the French and decided to delay the arrival of the Prussians for an hour which gave them time to enter deployed and a fair way down the French left flank.  I think this gave them a significant deployment advantage in time and flexibility. This was rule 6.1.4.1.1.

The Prussians then followed up their successful attack on the French left with an all out assault and the next two photos show the before and after situations.

The Allies kept up the pressure and at the end held Mockern.  Some of their units had been badly mauled, but they had inflicted worse on the French plus captured a lot of the French artillery. The troop quality at this period makes the units very fragile.

This is how the battle ended up:

The Prussians and the French Marines (in dark blue greatcoats were from my collection and mainly Essex with a few AB figures).  The Russians and French were from Richard's collection and are Old Glory.

The game took about seven hours, but I'm a rather slow player these days, especially when attacking.

If I was to do this battle again I would move the map significantly to the north west and have the south bordered by the Elster River and the east by the stream that flows from Gohlis to Gross Widderitzsch.  The reference material I have that would best aid me in constructing this is the Napoleon at Leipzig board game by OSG.  Maybe for a future post ...